Tackling the Plastics Pollution Crisis Through the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive: Context, Scope and Implementation Challenges
(2020) 25(6) Env. Liability 235, Forthcoming
Posted: 28 May 2020
Date Written: April 03, 2020
Abstract
Awareness of the damage caused by plastics in the environment has captured the social and political zeitgeist. This article takes a contextual and critical examination of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) in tackling the crisis of plastics waste pollution. The SUPD adopts a holistic approach to this problem, aiming to stimulate changes throughout the plastics value-chain, building pressure on producers to innovate and shift towards a Circular Economy in plastics. Despite some under-ambition in target-setting, the SUPD will impact governments, business and individuals in transitioning from a throwaway culture, to one which takes a more sustainable approach to plastics - where considerations for end-of-life environmental impacts are embedded at every stage of value-chains. Implementation of the SUPD faces challenges in EU Member States and in a post-Brexit UK, where asymmetric approaches are likely. The SUPD's true potential will only be realized if used as a platform for future, more ambitious measures, with reinvestment to maximize the universality and consistency of recycling infrastructure, and a commitment to embedding circularity and innovation.
Keywords: Environmental Law, EU Law, Single-Use Plastics Directive, Supd, Plastics Pollution, Waste, Circular Economy
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